Raid in Hamburg: Five suspects arrested for incitement!

Raid in Hamburg: Five suspects arrested for incitement!

On Wednesday morning, police in Hamburg searched numerous apartments as part of a large-scale, nationwide operation. The investigation targeted five suspects who found themselves in a delicate situation. Tixio reports that the defendants are accused of, among other things, incitement to hatred, using the symbols of unconstitutional organizations and endorsing crimes on the Internet.

A 31-year-old from Marienthal who is suspected of spreading National Socialist symbols has attracted particular attention. Two other suspects, a 35-year-old from Eilbek and a 21-year-old from Sternschanze, are also linked to signs of banned groups such as IS and HAMAS. The apartments of a 17-year-old in Neuallermöhe and a 55-year-old in Billstedt were also searched. During the measures, the police secured cell phones and other data carriers in order to gain further information.

Fear of politically motivated crime

These raids are part of the ongoing fight against politically motivated crimes in Germany. According to that Federal Criminal Police Office The number of politically motivated crimes rose by a shocking 40.2 percent last year, the highest increase since 2001. In the past ten years, the number of cases has more than doubled. In addition, the number of politically motivated acts of violence reached 4,107 cases, the highest level since 2016.

What is particularly alarming is the increase in right-wing crimes, which alone have increased by 47.8 percent and therefore account for more than half of the registered crimes. Overall, hate crimes and propaganda crimes increased by 28.0 percent and 56.9 percent respectively, while anti-Semitic crimes increased by 20.8 percent.

A look at the numbers

• Politisch motivierte Straftaten (2023): ca. 60.000 Fälle (Höchststand)
• Rechtsmotivierte Straftaten: mehr als 25.700, häufigstes Delikt: Propaganda
• Linksmotivierte Straftaten: ca. 4.250, mit einem Anstieg von 10%
• Hasskriminalität: 21.773 Fälle, +28,0%
• Antisemitische Straftaten: 6.236 Fälle, +20,8%

Security authorities are concerned about the dramatic increase in political crimes, particularly on the Internet. With a three-level approach, the BKA plans to intensify the fight against politically motivated crime. After all, 20,074 cases of politically motivated crimes were recorded on the Internet last year, an increase of 29.6 percent.

Overall, it is clear that extremism is a serious problem in Germany. Loud Statista There were around 39,400 extremist and 60,000 politically motivated crimes in 2023, which represent all-time highs. Of these, over half are attributed to right-wing motivated acts. This shows how deep the roots of extremism are in our society and that more attention than ever must be paid to combating the threat scenario.